Axel Tuanzebe Shuts Down Cristiano Ronaldo in World Cup Opener
Axel Tuanzebe walked off the pitch in Houston with a grin that said everything. Cristiano Ronaldo, the old mentor from Carrington, had just been shut down by the former apprentice – and Tuanzebe had no intention of feeling guilty about it.
This was Congo’s first World Cup game since 1974. It was supposed to be a procession for Portugal, a gentle opening step for a nation stacked with talent and led by a 41-year-old global icon chasing his own slice of history. Instead, it turned into a defensive clinic from a Burnley centre-back fresh from relegation, who chose the biggest stage to remind everyone what he can do.
Tuanzebe shuts the door on his old idol
In Manchester, Tuanzebe had once gone to Ronaldo for advice, soaking up every word from the superstar in the Manchester United dressing room and on the training pitches at Carrington. Respect? Huge. Awe? Of course.
None of that travelled with him to Texas.
Tuanzebe anchored a Congo back line that turned Ronaldo into a bystander. The “scoring machine” reduced to half-chances and frustration, the aura dulled by a wall of green shirts that refused to blink. For a player whose every World Cup touch is usually framed as part of a personal epic, this was a jarring sight.
The scrutiny around Ronaldo’s age has been growing. Is 41 finally the point where even he can’t bend tournaments to his will? On this evidence, the questions will only get louder.
Tuanzebe, though, wasn’t in the mood for sympathy.
“Cristiano is still hungry, he still wants to play, he still wants to show everybody how good he is,” he said. “In the box, he wants to get the goals, he wants to get to that magic number of a thousand.
“He will be disappointed, but that's my job. I'm sure Cristiano, wherever he goes, he'll bring a swarm of fans with him. But ultimately, we're just happy about the result.”
No apology. No softening of the blow. Just a defender doing his work, and revelling in the scale of it.
Congo show no fear
If Tuanzebe’s respect for Ronaldo still runs deep, Ngaleyel Mukau’s words carried a sharper edge.
The Congo team-mate admitted they didn’t even bother tailoring a gameplan around stopping the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
“He's one of the greatest to ever play the game. So much respect to him,” Mukau said. “But to be honest, there was no plan, not really, because we know that he isn't the same as before.
“He's a bit older now. When you get old like that, it's not the same effort that you can make.”
It was a striking admission. Most teams still build entire defensive blueprints around Ronaldo’s movement and finishing. Congo trusted their structure, their legs, and the idea that time does catch up with everyone.
On this night, they were right.
Ronaldo left frustrated
Ronaldo’s response was measured, but the disappointment was obvious. He stayed out after the final whistle, signing autographs, posing for pictures, still the centre of attention even when the scoreboard refused to bend his way.
Asked what went wrong, he shrugged off the idea that Portugal had failed to perform.
“What was missing? Nothing was missing, that's football,” he said. “Portugal could have won, but it could also have lost. It could have gone either way.”
On social media, he tried to reset the tone: “It wasn't the start we wanted, but this is far from over. Heads up and focus on the next game.”
The words were defiant. The reality: a powerhouse tipped to cruise through the group had just been held by a side returning to this stage after half a century away, with its star man shackled by a defender who couldn’t keep his club in the Premier League last season.
From relegation to redemption
For Tuanzebe, the contrast could hardly be starker.
His campaign with Burnley ended in relegation and frustration, a year that could easily have dragged his confidence down. Instead, the World Cup has offered a reset, and he seized it with both hands.
“It's definitely a positive for me personally. Getting good results always feels good,” he said. “And, look, it's a massive tournament. It's the biggest event in the world and we want to perform and do well in it.”
The draw with Portugal has done more than lift his mood. It has ignited belief inside the Congo camp that this doesn’t have to be a one-off shock. It can be a launchpad.
“Our mission now is to qualify,” Tuanzebe added. “We need one win, we've got two games to do that, to get the three points. And we're definitely going to go one hundred per cent at it, whether it be Colombia or Uzbekistan.
“We’re going to go flat out and try to get it done sooner rather than later. So, yeah, we'll be recovering now and getting ready for that game.”
No talk of soaking up the moment. No sense that simply being back at a World Cup is enough. They’ve bloodied a heavyweight and want more.
On a humid night in Houston, the apprentice shut out the master, the relegated defender outshone the global superstar, and Congo announced their return with a result that will echo far beyond this group stage.
The question now is simple: if they can do this to Ronaldo and Portugal, who’s going to stop them believing they can rip up the script again?
